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Get Terminal Aerodrome Forecast (TAF)

aviation_get_taf
Read-onlyIdempotent

Get the Terminal Aerodrome Forecast (TAF) for one or more airports. Returns each forecast period with valid times, surface wind, low-level wind shear, visibility, decoded weather conditions, cloud layers, and the vertical visibility into a forecast obscuration, plus the raw TAF string. TAFs cover the next 24–30 hours and are issued only for airports with scheduled commercial service; check data_types from aviation_find_stations to confirm TAF availability. Accepts 1–4 ICAO station IDs (e.g., KSEA, KJFK).

Input Schema

TableJSON Schema
NameRequiredDescriptionDefault
station_idsYesICAO station IDs to query. 1–4 stations per call.

Output Schema

TableJSON Schema
NameRequiredDescriptionDefault
errorNoPresent when the call failed. Absent on success.
noticeNoRecovery guidance naming the missing station IDs. Present only on a partial result. It lists the candidate causes without asserting one — upstream omits the row either way.
missingNoRequested station IDs absent from the result. Absent when none are missing.
partialNoTrue when a requested station produced no forecast. False affirms the result covers every requested station, so full coverage is distinguishable from a short batch rather than being inferred from the count.
returnedNoDistinct station IDs that produced a forecast.
forecastsNoTAF forecasts, one per requested station.
requestedNoStation IDs this call asked for, in the order given.

Schema Changelog

Changes observed during successful MCP inspections.

  1. Changed4 schema fields changed
    • changedOutput schema / properties / forecasts / items / properties / forecast_periods / items / properties / change_type / description
      Previous value: -"Change indicator: FM (from), TEMPO (temporary), BECMG (becoming), or null for the base period."New value: +"Change indicator: FM (from), TEMPO (temporary), BECMG (becoming), PROB (a standalone probability group), or null for the base period. A PROB30 or PROB40 qualifying a temporary group arrives as TEMPO; standing alone, with no temporary group after it, it arrives as PROB. Either way the percentage is in probability."
    • changedOutput schema / properties / forecasts / items / properties / forecast_periods / items / properties / clouds / description
      Previous value: -"Forecast cloud layers for this period."New value: +"Forecast cloud layers for this period. Empty whenever the period published no layer heights, which covers a forecast clear sky and a period carrying no cloud element at all; sky_condition distinguishes them. An empty array is not a forecast of a clear sky on its own."
    • addedOutput schema / properties / forecasts / items / properties / forecast_periods / items / properties / sky_condition
      Added value: +{
      +  "description": "The sky condition this period forecast when it published no layer heights: SKC or NSC for a clear or insignificant-cloud forecast (a CAVOK group arrives as NSC), OVX for a forecast obscuration carrying no vertical visibility. Null when clouds carries layers — those are the statement — and also when the period carried no cloud element at all. An empty clouds array beside a null here forecasts nothing about cloud; on a TEMPO, PROB, or BECMG group that means the prevailing forecast stands unchanged, never that the sky will be clear.",
      +  "type": [
      +    "string",
      +    "null"
      +  ]
      +}
    • changedOutput schema / properties / forecasts / items / properties / forecast_periods / items / required
      Previous value: -[
      -  "from",
      -  "to",
      -  "change_type",
      -  "probability",
      -  "wind",
      -  "wind_shear",
      -  "visibility_sm",
      -  "vertical_visibility_ft",
      -  "weather",
      -  "clouds"
      -]New value: +[
      +  "from",
      +  "to",
      +  "change_type",
      +  "probability",
      +  "wind",
      +  "wind_shear",
      +  "visibility_sm",
      +  "vertical_visibility_ft",
      +  "weather",
      +  "clouds",
      +  "sky_condition"
      +]
  2. Changed16 schema fields changed
    • removedOutput schema / properties / forecasts / items / properties / forecast_periods / items / properties / change_type / anyOf
      Removed value: -[
      -  {
      -    "type": "string"
      -  },
      -  {
      -    "type": "null"
      -  }
      -]
    • addedOutput schema / properties / forecasts / items / properties / forecast_periods / items / properties / change_type / type
      Added value: +[
      +  "string",
      +  "null"
      +]
    • removedOutput schema / properties / forecasts / items / properties / forecast_periods / items / properties / clouds / items / properties / type / anyOf
      Removed value: -[
      -  {
      -    "type": "string"
      -  },
      -  {
      -    "type": "null"
      -  }
      -]
    • addedOutput schema / properties / forecasts / items / properties / forecast_periods / items / properties / clouds / items / properties / type / type
      Added value: +[
      +  "string",
      +  "null"
      +]
    • removedOutput schema / properties / forecasts / items / properties / forecast_periods / items / properties / probability / anyOf
      Removed value: -[
      -  {
      -    "type": "number"
      -  },
      -  {
      -    "type": "null"
      -  }
      -]
    • addedOutput schema / properties / forecasts / items / properties / forecast_periods / items / properties / probability / type
      Added value: +[
      +  "number",
      +  "null"
      +]
    • removedOutput schema / properties / forecasts / items / properties / forecast_periods / items / properties / vertical_visibility_ft / anyOf
      Removed value: -[
      -  {
      -    "type": "number"
      -  },
      -  {
      -    "type": "null"
      -  }
      -]
    • addedOutput schema / properties / forecasts / items / properties / forecast_periods / items / properties / vertical_visibility_ft / type
      Added value: +[
      +  "number",
      +  "null"
      +]
    • removedOutput schema / properties / forecasts / items / properties / forecast_periods / items / properties / visibility_sm / anyOf
      Removed value: -[
      -  {
      -    "type": "string"
      -  },
      -  {
      -    "type": "null"
      -  }
      -]
    • addedOutput schema / properties / forecasts / items / properties / forecast_periods / items / properties / visibility_sm / type
      Added value: +[
      +  "string",
      +  "null"
      +]
    • removedOutput schema / properties / forecasts / items / properties / forecast_periods / items / properties / wind / properties / direction_deg / anyOf
      Removed value: -[
      -  {
      -    "type": "number"
      -  },
      -  {
      -    "type": "null"
      -  }
      -]
    • addedOutput schema / properties / forecasts / items / properties / forecast_periods / items / properties / wind / properties / direction_deg / type
      Added value: +[
      +  "number",
      +  "null"
      +]
    • removedOutput schema / properties / forecasts / items / properties / forecast_periods / items / properties / wind / properties / gust_kt / anyOf
      Removed value: -[
      -  {
      -    "type": "number"
      -  },
      -  {
      -    "type": "null"
      -  }
      -]
    • addedOutput schema / properties / forecasts / items / properties / forecast_periods / items / properties / wind / properties / gust_kt / type
      Added value: +[
      +  "number",
      +  "null"
      +]
    • removedOutput schema / properties / forecasts / items / properties / forecast_periods / items / properties / wind / properties / speed_kt / anyOf
      Removed value: -[
      -  {
      -    "type": "number"
      -  },
      -  {
      -    "type": "null"
      -  }
      -]
    • addedOutput schema / properties / forecasts / items / properties / forecast_periods / items / properties / wind / properties / speed_kt / type
      Added value: +[
      +  "number",
      +  "null"
      +]
  3. Changed6 schema fields changed
    • changedInput schema / $schema
      Previous value: -"http://json-schema.org/draft-07/schema#"New value: +"https://json-schema.org/draft/2020-12/schema"
    • addedInput schema / additionalProperties
      Added value: +false
    • changedOutput schema / $schema
      Previous value: -"http://json-schema.org/draft-07/schema#"New value: +"https://json-schema.org/draft/2020-12/schema"
    • addedOutput schema / anyOf
      Added value: +[
      +  {
      +    "not": {
      +      "required": [
      +        "error"
      +      ]
      +    },
      +    "required": [
      +      "forecasts",
      +      "requested",
      +      "returned",
      +      "partial"
      +    ]
      +  },
      +  {
      +    "required": [
      +      "error"
      +    ]
      +  }
      +]
    • addedOutput schema / properties / error
      Added value: +{
      +  "additionalProperties": {},
      +  "description": "Present when the call failed. Absent on success.",
      +  "properties": {
      +    "code": {
      +      "description": "JSON-RPC error code for this failure.",
      +      "maximum": 9007199254740991,
      +      "minimum": -9007199254740991,
      +      "type": "integer"
      +    },
      +    "data": {
      +      "additionalProperties": {},
      +      "properties": {
      +        "reason": {
      +          "description": "Machine-readable failure mode. Declared by this tool: `no_taf_available`: Station does not issue TAFs or no TAF is currently available. Other values are possible when a failure originates below the handler.",
      +          "examples": [
      +            "no_taf_available"
      +          ],
      +          "type": "string"
      +        },
      +        "recovery": {
      +          "additionalProperties": {},
      +          "description": "Actionable next step for the caller.",
      +          "properties": {
      +            "hint": {
      +              "type": "string"
      +            }
      +          },
      +          "required": [
      +            "hint"
      +          ],
      +          "type": "object"
      +        },
      +        "retryable": {
      +          "description": "Whether retrying may succeed.",
      +          "type": "boolean"
      +        }
      +      },
      +      "type": "object"
      +    },
      +    "message": {
      +      "description": "Human-readable description of what went wrong.",
      +      "type": "string"
      +    }
      +  },
      +  "required": [
      +    "code",
      +    "message"
      +  ],
      +  "type": "object"
      +}
    • removedOutput schema / required
      Removed value: -[
      -  "forecasts",
      -  "requested",
      -  "returned",
      -  "partial"
      -]
  4. Changed15 schema fields changed
    • changedOutput schema / properties / forecasts / items / properties / forecast_periods / items / properties / clouds / items / properties / base_ft / description
      Previous value: -"Cloud base altitude in feet AGL."New value: +"Cloud base altitude in feet AGL. On an OVX layer this is the vertical visibility into the obscuration rather than a layer bottom, and 0 is a surface-level indefinite ceiling."
    • changedOutput schema / properties / forecasts / items / properties / forecast_periods / items / properties / clouds / items / properties / cover / description
      Previous value: -"Sky cover code: FEW, SCT, BKN, OVC, SKC, CLR."New value: +"Sky cover code: FEW, SCT, BKN, OVC, SKC, or OVX. OVX is the decoded form of a VVhhh group — the sky is obscured and the base is the vertical visibility into it, not a cloud bottom."
    • changedOutput schema / properties / forecasts / items / properties / forecast_periods / items / properties / clouds / items / properties / type / description
      Previous value: -"Cloud type qualifier: CB (cumulonimbus), TCU (towering cumulus), or null."New value: +"Cloud type qualifier: CB (cumulonimbus), TCU (towering cumulus), or null. An obscuration can carry one — a VV008CB group is an OVX layer with type CB."
    • addedOutput schema / properties / forecasts / items / properties / forecast_periods / items / properties / vertical_visibility_ft
      Added value: +{
      +  "anyOf": [
      +    {
      +      "type": "number"
      +    },
      +    {
      +      "type": "null"
      +    }
      +  ],
      +  "description": "Vertical visibility into a forecast obscuration, in feet AGL — an indefinite ceiling, and the same height as this period OVX cloud layer. 0 is a surface-level indefinite ceiling; null means the period forecasts no obscuration."
      +}
    • changedOutput schema / properties / forecasts / items / properties / forecast_periods / items / properties / weather / anyOf
      Previous value: -[
      -  {
      -    "type": "string"
      -  },
      -  {
      -    "type": "null"
      -  }
      -]New value: +[
      +  {
      +    "additionalProperties": false,
      +    "properties": {
      +      "decoded": {
      +        "description": "Plain-English reading of each group, joined with \"; \" (e.g., \"light rain showers; mist\"). A group the decoder does not recognize is carried through as its own raw token rather than half-translated, so compare against raw when a reading still looks coded.",
      +        "type": "string"
      +      },
      +      "raw": {
      +        "description": "Weather groups exactly as forecast, space-delimited (e.g., \"-SHRA\", \"-SHRA BR\", \"VCTS -RA\").",
      +        "type": "string"
      +      }
      +    },
      +    "required": [
      +      "raw",
      +      "decoded"
      +    ],
      +    "type": "object"
      +  },
      +  {
      +    "type": "null"
      +  }
      +]
    • changedOutput schema / properties / forecasts / items / properties / forecast_periods / items / properties / weather / description
      Previous value: -"Decoded weather condition (e.g., \"light rain showers\", \"thunderstorm with rain\"). Null if none."New value: +"Forecast weather for this period, or null when the period carried no weather group."
    • changedOutput schema / properties / forecasts / items / properties / forecast_periods / items / properties / wind / description
      Previous value: -"Forecast wind conditions for this period."New value: +"Forecast wind conditions at the surface for this period."
    • addedOutput schema / properties / forecasts / items / properties / forecast_periods / items / properties / wind_shear
      Added value: +{
      +  "anyOf": [
      +    {
      +      "additionalProperties": false,
      +      "properties": {
      +        "direction_deg": {
      +          "description": "Forecast wind direction at the top of the shear layer, in degrees true — not a direction of shear.",
      +          "type": "number"
      +        },
      +        "height_ft": {
      +          "description": "Top of the shear layer in feet AGL — not the layer base and not its thickness. A WS020 group is 2000 ft.",
      +          "type": "number"
      +        },
      +        "speed_kt": {
      +          "description": "Forecast wind speed at the top of the shear layer, in knots — the wind at that height, not the magnitude of the shear.",
      +          "type": "number"
      +        }
      +      },
      +      "required": [
      +        "height_ft",
      +        "direction_deg",
      +        "speed_kt"
      +      ],
      +      "type": "object"
      +    },
      +    {
      +      "type": "null"
      +    }
      +  ],
      +  "description": "Forecast non-convective low-level wind shear (a WS group), confined to the surface–2,000 ft AGL band. A null means no non-convective LLWS group was issued for this period, rather than no shear expected: the group is excluded from TEMPO and PROB groups, and shear is always assumed present in convective activity."
      +}
    • changedOutput schema / properties / forecasts / items / properties / forecast_periods / items / required
      Previous value: -[
      -  "from",
      -  "to",
      -  "change_type",
      -  "probability",
      -  "wind",
      -  "visibility_sm",
      -  "weather",
      -  "clouds"
      -]New value: +[
      +  "from",
      +  "to",
      +  "change_type",
      +  "probability",
      +  "wind",
      +  "wind_shear",
      +  "visibility_sm",
      +  "vertical_visibility_ft",
      +  "weather",
      +  "clouds"
      +]
    • addedOutput schema / properties / missing
      Added value: +{
      +  "description": "Requested station IDs absent from the result. Absent when none are missing.",
      +  "items": {
      +    "description": "A requested ICAO station ID that produced no forecast.",
      +    "type": "string"
      +  },
      +  "type": "array"
      +}
    • addedOutput schema / properties / notice
      Added value: +{
      +  "description": "Recovery guidance naming the missing station IDs. Present only on a partial result. It lists the candidate causes without asserting one — upstream omits the row either way.",
      +  "type": "string"
      +}
    • addedOutput schema / properties / partial
      Added value: +{
      +  "description": "True when a requested station produced no forecast. False affirms the result covers every requested station, so full coverage is distinguishable from a short batch rather than being inferred from the count.",
      +  "type": "boolean"
      +}
    • addedOutput schema / properties / requested
      Added value: +{
      +  "description": "Station IDs this call asked for, in the order given.",
      +  "items": {
      +    "description": "An ICAO station ID as requested.",
      +    "type": "string"
      +  },
      +  "type": "array"
      +}
    • addedOutput schema / properties / returned
      Added value: +{
      +  "description": "Distinct station IDs that produced a forecast.",
      +  "items": {
      +    "description": "An ICAO station ID present in the result.",
      +    "type": "string"
      +  },
      +  "type": "array"
      +}
    • changedOutput schema / required
      Previous value: -[
      -  "forecasts"
      -]New value: +[
      +  "forecasts",
      +  "requested",
      +  "returned",
      +  "partial"
      +]
  5. Changed5 schema fields changed
    • changedOutput schema / properties / forecasts / items / properties / forecast_periods / items / properties / clouds / items / properties / base_ft / description
      Previous value: -"Cloud base altitude in feet MSL."New value: +"Cloud base altitude in feet AGL."
    • changedOutput schema / properties / forecasts / items / properties / forecast_periods / items / properties / wind / properties / direction_deg / description
      Previous value: -"Forecast wind direction in degrees true. Null when variable."New value: +"Forecast wind direction in degrees true. Null when the forecast said VRB (variable), and also when the period carries no wind element at all — speed_kt is null in that second case and a number in the first."
    • addedOutput schema / properties / forecasts / items / properties / forecast_periods / items / properties / wind / properties / speed_kt / anyOf
      Added value: +[
      +  {
      +    "type": "number"
      +  },
      +  {
      +    "type": "null"
      +  }
      +]
    • changedOutput schema / properties / forecasts / items / properties / forecast_periods / items / properties / wind / properties / speed_kt / description
      Previous value: -"Forecast wind speed in knots."New value: +"Forecast wind speed in knots. 0 is a forecast calm (a 00000KT group); null means the period amends only visibility, weather, or cloud and carries no wind element, so the wind is unknown rather than calm."
    • removedOutput schema / properties / forecasts / items / properties / forecast_periods / items / properties / wind / properties / speed_kt / type
      Removed value: -"number"
  6. First observed

TDQS

A4.7/5.0
Behavior4/5

Does the description disclose side effects, auth requirements, rate limits, or destructive behavior?

Annotations already declare readOnlyHint, openWorldHint, and idempotentHint, so the description need not repeat those. It adds value by disclosing the forecast coverage window (24–30 hours) and the availability constraint (scheduled commercial service only), and by listing the output fields. These go beyond the annotations and give the agent a realistic expectation of the data. Minor omissions like rate limits are not critical given the read-only, idempotent nature.

Agents need to know what a tool does to the world before calling it. Descriptions should go beyond structured annotations to explain consequences.

Conciseness5/5

Is the description appropriately sized, front-loaded, and free of redundancy?

The description is compact and well-structured: it states the purpose first, lists the output components, adds availability constraints, and closes with parameter specifics. No sentence is wasted, and the most important scoping information (coverage, availability) appears early.

Shorter descriptions cost fewer tokens and are easier for agents to parse. Every sentence should earn its place.

Completeness5/5

Given the tool's complexity, does the description cover enough for an agent to succeed on first attempt?

Given that an output schema is present (so return structure is already machine-readable), the description covers all necessary decision factors: what the tool returns, the time range, the issuance criteria, and how to verify station support. Combined with the annotations, an agent has everything needed to call it correctly and to anticipate the response format.

Complex tools with many parameters or behaviors need more documentation. Simple tools need less. This dimension scales expectations accordingly.

Parameters4/5

Does the description clarify parameter syntax, constraints, interactions, or defaults beyond what the schema provides?

The schema already documents station_ids with a regex pattern and min/max items (100% coverage). The description adds concrete examples (KSEA, KJFK), clarifies that it accepts 1–4 ICAO IDs, and ties the parameter to the availability check. This is helpful context beyond the schema, nudging the agent to use valid ICAO codes and to pre-verify station support.

Input schemas describe structure but not intent. Descriptions should explain non-obvious parameter relationships and valid value ranges.

Purpose5/5

Does the description clearly state what the tool does and how it differs from similar tools?

The description opens with a clear verb-resource pair ('Get the Terminal Aerodrome Forecast (TAF) for one or more airports') and enumerates the specific forecast elements returned (valid times, wind, visibility, weather, clouds, vertical visibility, raw TAF). It also distinguishes itself from sibling tools (aviation_get_metar, aviation_get_advisories, etc.) by being the TAF-specific tool, so an agent can select it unambiguously.

Agents choose between tools based on descriptions. A clear purpose with a specific verb and resource helps agents select the right tool.

Usage Guidelines5/5

Does the description explain when to use this tool, when not to, or what alternatives exist?

Provides explicit guidance: TAFs cover the next 24–30 hours, are issued only for airports with scheduled commercial service, and instructs the agent to check data_types from aviation_find_stations to confirm availability. This tells the agent when to use this tool and when to verify prerequisites via an alternative, which is exactly the kind of routing information that helps correct selection.

Agents often have multiple tools that could apply. Explicit usage guidance like "use X instead of Y when Z" prevents misuse.

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